shovelmike
Platinum Member
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- Rural Missouri
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I wish you all the best ai the build, I will certainly be following this thread.
Shouse Build
- Thread starter desertdog71
- Start date
- Views: 9869
chim
Elite Member
The Lego House is a good concept for showing someone not familiar with drawings what it will look like. Best of luck. We survived building 30 years ago. We spent a lot of time going over the plans and tweaking things. The one thing we wish we'd have is a little more space in the laundry.
Going over the pictures, it looks like you invited the Rabbit family for dinner
Going over the pictures, it looks like you invited the Rabbit family for dinner
chim
Elite Member
That's a happy-looking sky
ovrszd
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- May 27, 2006
- Messages
- 33,727
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- Missouri
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- Kubota M9540, Ford 3910FWD, Ford 555A, JD2210
In reading your posts my primary concern is your comment about your age? You think you aren't a youngster at 48? The hardest part of this build is going to be the mental load. Start thinking like a young man, which you are. You'll need that later.
You mentioned railroad ballast rock for driveway base? If it's what I think it is I would not use it. It doesn't create a solid base. It continually moves. That's by design. It's intended to move every time the train rolls over it, always working it's way under the ties. I've saw it tried several times, always with poor results. Maybe if you laid it, then put crushed AG lime on it to stick it together?? By the time you do that you might as well buy 2" or 3" limestone gravel.
We just finished a shop building and a house building. Both on concrete slabs. Builder said it was cheaper to build them with 2x6 studs than pole building design when the ultimate goal is insulating and finishing interior.
I pay close attention to Eddie Walker's comments in these discussions. He's direct and blunt. He's very experienced and non-biased in his offerings.
I agree you might not be a good candidate for radiant floor heat. If we get an extreme weather change our buildings overrun a couple degrees. Your cold spells are short enough that you can weather them with almost any heat source. We have an HVAC system with air to air heat exchanger. I think something like that would serve you well. Your secondary furnace would rarely kick on. 95% of your heat would come from the air to air exchanger. They are very efficient to run.
Regardless of heat source, insulate your concrete slab. Minimum 2" pinkboard. It's a bit pricey, around $25 per 4x8 sheet. But it will return the investment down the road.
In regards to hiring labor. I agree with you. Do everything you feel competent to do. More importantly, honestly evaluate your competence and hire what you don't feel confident about.
In regards to your property boundaries. You mentioned bordering a wildlife area? Government owned I assume? Regardless, know exactly where your boundaries are. Last thing you need is the owner of the adjacent wildlife area serving papers on you because you brushcut some exotic weed on their property!!!! Depending on the type of wildlife area you may also deal with hunters wandering onto your property.
I'm excited for you and your family. This will be a great family project. An excellent opportunity to involve your kids and get them outdoors.
Thanks for starting this thread. It will have a large following.
You mentioned railroad ballast rock for driveway base? If it's what I think it is I would not use it. It doesn't create a solid base. It continually moves. That's by design. It's intended to move every time the train rolls over it, always working it's way under the ties. I've saw it tried several times, always with poor results. Maybe if you laid it, then put crushed AG lime on it to stick it together?? By the time you do that you might as well buy 2" or 3" limestone gravel.
We just finished a shop building and a house building. Both on concrete slabs. Builder said it was cheaper to build them with 2x6 studs than pole building design when the ultimate goal is insulating and finishing interior.
I pay close attention to Eddie Walker's comments in these discussions. He's direct and blunt. He's very experienced and non-biased in his offerings.
I agree you might not be a good candidate for radiant floor heat. If we get an extreme weather change our buildings overrun a couple degrees. Your cold spells are short enough that you can weather them with almost any heat source. We have an HVAC system with air to air heat exchanger. I think something like that would serve you well. Your secondary furnace would rarely kick on. 95% of your heat would come from the air to air exchanger. They are very efficient to run.
Regardless of heat source, insulate your concrete slab. Minimum 2" pinkboard. It's a bit pricey, around $25 per 4x8 sheet. But it will return the investment down the road.
In regards to hiring labor. I agree with you. Do everything you feel competent to do. More importantly, honestly evaluate your competence and hire what you don't feel confident about.
In regards to your property boundaries. You mentioned bordering a wildlife area? Government owned I assume? Regardless, know exactly where your boundaries are. Last thing you need is the owner of the adjacent wildlife area serving papers on you because you brushcut some exotic weed on their property!!!! Depending on the type of wildlife area you may also deal with hunters wandering onto your property.
I'm excited for you and your family. This will be a great family project. An excellent opportunity to involve your kids and get them outdoors.
Thanks for starting this thread. It will have a large following.
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
We don't border any wildlife area, the majority of the mined land in Kansas is owned by the state now though. I was just pointing out that it's fairly rare to have access to a strip pit and I haven't seen many houses along them. The land just isn't available.
Pricing out materials we came to about the same conclusion, the post vs stick frame is very similar. The main difference is that we can start with the building and do that slab later with post frame. Otherwise we have to get all of the underground mechanicals in place, and the foundation completed and then start on the actual building. With post frame we can do that after the actual building is up and have a protected area to work in regardless of weather.
Yes 2 inch foam board will go under and around the slab and out a few feet from the slab in all directions. We don't really have frost heave issues here but it will help for sure.
Railroad ballast may be a poor choice of wording, I'm thinking that 4inch limestone as a base. Topped later with 3/4 minus. The soil has a fairly high clay content and the 4 inch should lock into it pretty good. I'm willing to listed to other ideas though. Including ditching the post frame idea. We know we want that floor plan and size of building and we want standing seam metal roof. The rest is up for discussion. We don't have the cash for a complete build right now, so we will be doing it in steps. Don't worry, I make plenty and it shouldn't be a cause for concern. I have other money I can get to if I need to.
48 just means I can't go hard back to back to back days like I used to, and injuries have slowed me down over the years. Such is life, I'm not a crippled up old man no, just not 20 anymore. I have to take time to reload these days. :laughing:
I'm willing to listen to ideas on the building though.
Pricing out materials we came to about the same conclusion, the post vs stick frame is very similar. The main difference is that we can start with the building and do that slab later with post frame. Otherwise we have to get all of the underground mechanicals in place, and the foundation completed and then start on the actual building. With post frame we can do that after the actual building is up and have a protected area to work in regardless of weather.
Yes 2 inch foam board will go under and around the slab and out a few feet from the slab in all directions. We don't really have frost heave issues here but it will help for sure.
Railroad ballast may be a poor choice of wording, I'm thinking that 4inch limestone as a base. Topped later with 3/4 minus. The soil has a fairly high clay content and the 4 inch should lock into it pretty good. I'm willing to listed to other ideas though. Including ditching the post frame idea. We know we want that floor plan and size of building and we want standing seam metal roof. The rest is up for discussion. We don't have the cash for a complete build right now, so we will be doing it in steps. Don't worry, I make plenty and it shouldn't be a cause for concern. I have other money I can get to if I need to.
48 just means I can't go hard back to back to back days like I used to, and injuries have slowed me down over the years. Such is life, I'm not a crippled up old man no, just not 20 anymore. I have to take time to reload these days. :laughing:
I'm willing to listen to ideas on the building though.
ovrszd
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- May 27, 2006
- Messages
- 33,727
- Location
- Missouri
- Tractor
- Kubota M9540, Ford 3910FWD, Ford 555A, JD2210
I got the wildlife area from your first post. Sounds like you've got a nice secluded area with little fear of someone building a house 100ft from you!!! That's worth a lot!!!
I understand your thoughts about pole building to get you started. It will be much harder and more time consuming to put the mechanicals in after the building is erected. It will also add cost to the concrete pour because of the additional manual labor involved.
If you went the footing/slab route you would need sleeves placed in your footing. Then bury the interior plumbing/electrical before the slab is poured with outlets poking thru the footing sleeves. From that point on you are where you'd be with a pole building using buried bases except you'd already have your floor done.
In regards to the driveway. Build it first with adequate drainage and elevation. Go high. Go so high your wife is questioning your plan. Then ten years from now you will still have an elevated driveway with adequate drainage. If you pour gravel on flat ground you will be on here 10 years from now asking how to fix your driveway. We average one thread a month on that subject here.
If you elevate and drain your driveway 4" will be too large. 2" will work fine with smaller gravel and fines added as you tromp it in.
I understand the age block. You've never been 48 before. I often think of Toby Keith's song "Don't Let The Old Man In". One line is "How old would you be if you didn't know the date of your birth"?
I understand your thoughts about pole building to get you started. It will be much harder and more time consuming to put the mechanicals in after the building is erected. It will also add cost to the concrete pour because of the additional manual labor involved.
If you went the footing/slab route you would need sleeves placed in your footing. Then bury the interior plumbing/electrical before the slab is poured with outlets poking thru the footing sleeves. From that point on you are where you'd be with a pole building using buried bases except you'd already have your floor done.
In regards to the driveway. Build it first with adequate drainage and elevation. Go high. Go so high your wife is questioning your plan. Then ten years from now you will still have an elevated driveway with adequate drainage. If you pour gravel on flat ground you will be on here 10 years from now asking how to fix your driveway. We average one thread a month on that subject here.
If you elevate and drain your driveway 4" will be too large. 2" will work fine with smaller gravel and fines added as you tromp it in.
I understand the age block. You've never been 48 before. I often think of Toby Keith's song "Don't Let The Old Man In". One line is "How old would you be if you didn't know the date of your birth"?
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
he has another song "Not as good as I once was."
drivesitfar
Silver Member
DD: is there a reason why you are doing slab on grade for the house or are you? I was involved in selling over a 1,000 homes both new and resale and the ones built on slabs ALWAYS sold for less than those with basements or a crawl space. since you are building the house/garage in phases are you planning on building one portion first or framing everything and roofing and siding and then finishing one side first? or do tell?
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
I'm not building for resale. Frame it, roof it, side it, windows, trim, then work on the inside is the general idea. Slab can be poured on the inside at a later time. I guess you'll have to wait and see. I plan to live here for the rest of my days so I don't care about resale. I like having a solid floor and not feeling people walk around too. Stained concrete is attractive and cost effective.
drivesitfar
Silver Member
DD: is it that much more expensive to have a crawl space? Reason i'd build with crawl space is cause after living in a one story home for over 30 years I can run wires or fix plumbing easier.
if you are set on slab on grade maybe that works better in your area especially with the Tornado factor.
good luck in any case and just trying to help
if you are set on slab on grade maybe that works better in your area especially with the Tornado factor.
good luck in any case and just trying to help
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
It's kind of one of those "we want what we want" type of deals. I've lived in slab houses most of my life and never needed to dig under the house for anything. If it happens, we will deal with it when the time comes.
drivesitfar
Silver Member
DD: it probably doesn't rain nearly as much in your part of the world either.
carry on and I'll keep watching and learning.
carry on and I'll keep watching and learning.
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
Depends on what side of the cascades you're on.:laughing:
drivesitfar
Silver Member
DD: and ROCKIES too might keep it dry until some wind brings it up from the Gulf.
I love your location and hope your new neighbors are just as nice. not that you have to say here, but I'm curious how much you paid for 10 acres with waterfront? only place I've been in Kansas was Hutchinson in 1988 when I played golf at Prairie Dunes which may or may not be close to you. i remember dry, but windy in late October or early November.
We have a no step rambler home with a crawl space and it really came in handy cause in 1990 we had twins and one of them has spina bifida and she's been in a wheelchair since 1992.
I love your location and hope your new neighbors are just as nice. not that you have to say here, but I'm curious how much you paid for 10 acres with waterfront? only place I've been in Kansas was Hutchinson in 1988 when I played golf at Prairie Dunes which may or may not be close to you. i remember dry, but windy in late October or early November.
We have a no step rambler home with a crawl space and it really came in handy cause in 1990 we had twins and one of them has spina bifida and she's been in a wheelchair since 1992.
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
I paid $32500 for 10.3 AC.
drivesitfar
Silver Member
DD: thanks. are you within an hour's drive of shopping and/or hospitals or a small town? over here on the west side of the Cascades you'd probably need to put a zero behind your price to get something similar.
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
We have everything we need within 10 miles.
drivesitfar
Silver Member
DD: sounds AWESOME!!
OP
desertdog71
Silver Member
The property is close to the Missouri border north of Pittsburg, KS. So Pittsburg is close, Joplin is fairly close. Plenty around the area as far as shopping and medical. It's rural but not way out in the sticks.
